Wandering Through Vol. 2 Chapter 47 - Capture, Oblivion

Under Leegwang’s relentless questioning, Gukmu finally forced out an excuse.  

 

“…What are you talking about?”  

 

Leegwang’s eyes, once cold and shimmering blue, were now dyed crimson like a demon’s. 

 

Whether by misfortune or luck, Gukmu couldn’t see those eyes and managed to continue his defense.  

 

“I… I don’t know. What am I even hiding…?”  

 

“You know. Everything.”  

 

Leegwang barely clung to consciousness through the excruciating pain consuming his body. His vision blurred. 

 

Strength kept draining from his limbs. He hurled Gukmu, whose collar he had been gripping, against the wall.  

 

“Ugh…!”  

 

The altar by the wall collapsed with a crash as Gukmu fell. Ritual vessels clattered loudly, rolling across the floor.  

 

Dragging his nearly useless leg, Leegwang staggered toward Gukmu and stomped on his thigh. 

 

A pained groan escaped, but Leegwang kept his foot planted and repeated his question.  

 

“Where is it?”  

 

“I… ugh… don’t know what you’re…”  

 

Gukmu kept repeating the same denial. Leegwang lifted his foot only to kick him hard in the ribs. 

 

Gukmu slammed back into the wall, gasping for air. Leegwang swayed, then slumped down in front of him.  

 

Truthfully, even standing was a struggle.  

 

And on top of that, not hearing the answer he wanted only fueled his rage.  

 

“Where is it?”  

 

“What are you…?”  

 

The same refusal again. Leegwang cut him off before he could finish.  

 

“Then maybe I should go ask Huishan instead.”  

 

Gukmu’s body stiffened. Noticing this, Leegwang slowly twisted his lips into a smirk.  

 

“Huh? Just like this. The same way.”  

 

“She isn’t Huishan anymore.”  

 

“What does that matter?”  

 

Leegwang tilted his head as if unable to comprehend the objection. His mind, tormented by a searing fever, felt shrouded in haze. 

 

Right now, all he could think about was reclaiming what had slipped from his grasp.  

 

“If you don’t answer, I’ll kill you and go to Huishan. And if Huishan acts the same as you, I’ll kill her too… Then after that…”

 

The halting, broken speech sounded clumsy. In a way, that made it seem more sincere.  

 

“Anyway, I planned to kill everyone from the start…”  

 

Leegwang laughed. He slowly, deliberately tapped the Minister’s cheek—tap, tap—and asked,  

 

“Should I just kill you now and go to Huishan?”  

 

He was truly a man capable of such a thing. The Minister, imagining the horrors he could unleash, couldn’t suppress the trembling in his body.  

 

🦋

 

Yiseo felt it deep in her bones—just how many mountains covered this land.  

 

“It’s close. If you go that way, you’ll reach Gubong Mountain. Cross it, go over one river, and then…”  

 

Whenever they stopped passersby to ask for directions, the answer was always the same, cross this mountain, then the next, then the one after. 

 

The distance wasn’t far, but the mountains were endless.  

 

And crossing mountains at night was madness, so unless they started climbing at dawn, they had no choice but to stop at the foot. 

 

Already, four days had passed.  

 

Now, just one more mountain remained. At this rate, they’d reach Gaeseong by tomorrow…  

 

“Four days have already passed—are you alright?”  

 

Suyeong answered Yiseo’s question nonchalantly.  

 

“I already told my family I’d be out for a few days with friends, enjoying some sightseeing. Even if we’re delayed a little longer, they won’t mind.”  

 

“But still…”  

 

“Don’t worry too much. Rest. Haven’t we finally found a place where you can relax properly?”  

 

That was true.  

 

Each time, they paid a few coins to borrow a room in a village house. 

 

Most were so cramped that two people filled them completely, forcing Suyeong to either sleep sitting by the door or, if it was too tight, spend the night outside on the porch.  

 

Seeing him like that, Yiseo couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She only managed light sleep, waking before dawn every time.

 

This time, luck was on their side—they managed to rent out an entire shrine at the foot of the mountain for a night.  

 

The village shaman only used it for rituals, leaving it empty most of the time, so Yiseo offered extra money to stay. 

 

After some hesitation, the shaman agreed, on the condition that they wouldn’t touch the main ritual hall and only used the back quarters.  

 

Finally able to relax alone in a room after so long, Yiseo let out a pained groan as she collapsed onto the floor.  

 

Though the bedding was just sun-dried fabric laid over the bare ground, to her, it felt unbelievably comfortable.  

 

She couldn’t understand why her body ached so much when she had been carried here effortlessly. 

 

Yiseo cursed her own weak constitution.  

 

Meanwhile, Suyeong, who had carried her all this way, seemed as energetic as ever. 

 

Why…?  

 

“I’ve boiled water in the empty shed out back for washing. I’ll leave the clothes I found for you here.”  

 

How had he already gotten so much done in such a short time? 

 

Feeling pathetic, Yiseo forced her aching body up and stepped outside.  

 

But her weakened legs barely took a few steps before she sank back onto the wooden porch. She bowed her head slightly toward Suyeong, who had been tirelessly running around in her stead.  

 

“Thank you.”  

 

“You can speak comfortably.”  

 

“There’s no one here. I don’t think there’s a need for that.”  

 

In public, it would’ve been strange for an older sister to use honorifics with a younger brother, so she had either dropped formalities or mumbled ambiguously when necessary. But here, with no one around, there was no need.  

 

Yiseo pretended not to notice the shadow crossing Suyeong’s face.  

 

After all, by tomorrow, Suyeong would forget about her. And even if he remembered, what reason would they have to meet again once this was over?  

 

What possible interaction could there be between the son of a high minister and the disgraced wife of a deposed prince?  

 

“Then… rest well.”

 

Suyeong, who had awkwardly offered a greeting, left the room. 

 

Yiseo gazed at the spot where he had been standing and smiled bitterly. She didn’t know why he felt so young to her, even though he wasn’t that much younger. 

 

Was it because of her past-life memories? Or was it because of those eyes that openly showed kindness toward her?  

 

Even if the day came when Suyeong forgot about Yiseo, she thought she would still remember him from time to time.  

 

That young man who had played the role of her fake younger brother for the past four days.  

 

Now, Yiseo could say it with certainty—that young man was not her brother.  

 

…He was not that child from her past life.  

 

That young man was not the Grand Prince from her past life, who had driven someone to death under the guise of protecting his older brother. 

 

Nor was he the boy who had boldly clung to her, the feared shrine maiden, declaring, ‘I’m not scared of my sister!’  

 

Though Suyeong himself was lost in confusion, swept up in his past-life memories and unsure of whom he really was, to Yiseo, there was no need for such confusion.  

 

That young man had always been Shin Suyeong. No one else.  

 

So, Yiseo had to do what needed to be done—without hesitation—to ensure he remained himself.  

 

Not just for him, but for others too…  

 

“This won’t do. I should get up.”  

 

Deliberately muttering to herself, Yiseo pushed herself up. She shook her head, as if to physically scatter the man who had surfaced in her thoughts.  

 

She needed to wash up. Maybe then, her mind would feel a little clearer too.  

 

With every step she took, the bones in her body screamed in protest, but Yiseo clenched her teeth and headed where Suyeong had told her to go. 

 

Honestly, she hadn’t properly washed in a while, so she really needed to. 

 

And maybe pouring some warm water over herself would help her feel a little better. Though, if she were being honest, that was more of a desperate hope than anything else.  

 

Grunting, Yiseo finally arrived at the storage shed Suyeong had mentioned and undressed. 

 

The boiled water had cooled to a tolerable temperature.

 

It took her a long time to wash, scooping small amounts of water with weak hands and pouring it over her body.  

 

By the time she poured the last of the water over her feet, it had already turned cold.  

 

“Ugh…”  

  

Outside, it was already growing dark. 

 

Yiseo, her eyes half-closed in drowsiness, dried herself with a rough cloth and put on the fresh clothes Youngsun had brought for her. Her mind seemed almost completely asleep. 

 

Slowly, she patted her damp hair dry with the cloth.  

 

Soon, Yiseo’s hands slowed, then—*thud*—dropped limply to her sides.  

 

A steady, even breathing followed.  

 

“Sister? Sister?”  

 

A voice seemed to reach her through her sleep, and then someone shook her body. 

 

Yiseo’s limp frame swayed violently under the touch, like a flimsy scarecrow. The hands that gripped her shoulders in surprise were quite strong, but her eyelids were far too heavy to wake fully.  

 

“Mmm…”  

 

By the time she hazily stirred from sleep, she was already being carried on a familiar back. 

 

Not long after, she was laid down on a bed. Her head felt slightly damp, but sleep was more urgent, so she sank back into slumber without another thought.  

 

“…”  

 

Youngsun, watching the water drip steadily from Yiseo’s wet hair onto the pillow and blankets, was at a loss.  

 

Quickly, she lifted Yiseo’s head and removed the pillow. 

 

The damp hair was still dripping onto the sheets below, so she moved it outside the blanket.  

 

With one hand supporting Yiseo’s head, Youngsun used the other to squeeze the moisture from her hair with a dry cloth. She couldn’t just leave her like this, so she did her best to dry the remaining dampness without waking Yiseo.  

 

Having successfully dealt with the wet hair without disturbing Yiseo’s deep sleep, Youngsun carefully rested her head on a fresh, dry pillow with a sense of satisfaction. 

 

It was late, and if they were to leave early tomorrow morning, she needed to hurry back to the next room to sleep.  

 

At that moment, a large shadow fell over the door behind Youngsun as she tucked Yiseo in.